The Blue Kokoro Mutts
by SonicRainboomsXD
Summary: When Doctor 'Oshay opens his door to a robot dog, he had no idea what he was getting his robot friend into. Now, a dangerous adventure will take Astro and his friends on a quest that titles the fate of Life or Death...
1. The First Event

Hello guys and welcome to Chapter 1 of Astro Boy: The Blue Core Muts. Now this whole Fan Fic is based on a dream I had, well actually, 2 dreams. Anyway, not all of the parts added up so I decided that I will make the whole thing a Fic and add in parts that weren't there so that it will all make sense So, I hope you enjoy!

...

Astro lay on his bed and sighed. He could sense that something was coming, but he just didn't know what it was. The whole thought just tormented him for some reason, so he opened the window and stared outside to the setting sun. Astro could just feel something calling out to him, but what?! Suddenly, Zoran burst through the door. "Hiya Astro! I just made this flower wreath for you! Isn't it just the cutest thing you've ever seen? Just like me!", Zoran grinned, "Uh, I guess.", her brother replied. Zoran rolled her eyes, "Uck! You're such a boy!", Astro smirked at her, "Well duh! Of course I am!", his sister narrowed her eyes, "Yes but at least SOME brothers appreciate what their sisters do for them!". Astro gaped, "What?! Like you ever appreciate what I do for you! You know, all the times I saved you and stuff, did you ever put that into your mind?!", Zoran fought back, "Well at least I don't sneak away after Doctor O'Shay makes it specifically clear that he doesn't want me to go!", "Well sometimes Zoran I have to! I mean-"

"What the heck is that sound?", Doctor O'Shay listened carefully, "Oh here we go again... Good thing we have no neighbours that live directly close to us. That would just be a disaster, right Nora?", Nora turned around, "Oh yes, I can just imagine them all complaining. Makes my circuits get in a twist at the very thought of it!". Zoran then came stomping down the stairs, followed by Astro who was chasing after her. "DOCTOR O'SHAY!", O'Shay put his hand on his forehead, "Oh no...". Zoran shoved the wreath in his face, "You think this is pretty right?", O'Shay smiled, "Well of course Zoran!", "Great because it seems that Astro doesn't EVER appreciate what I do for HIM!", "Now Zoran, you know that's not true. Why don't you apologise to your big brother? Hmm?", Zoran crossed her arms and sighed, "Sorry Astro...". O'Shay stared at the older robot, "Astro? You too!", "Why is it always me who gets the blame for this?", O'Shay gave him a firm look, "I mean, sorry Zoran.", "Now isn't that better?", Doctor O'Shay said, putting his hands on the robot's shoulders, "I swear, I don't get why you two argue about the smaller things in life.". Zoran put her hands on her hips, "ASTRO STARTS IT!", "I DO NOT!", he replied and the siblings started fighting again. "Oh brother..."

...

Astro Boy, Astro, Zoran, Doctor O'Shay and Nora all belong to Osamu Tezuka.

May he rest in peace


	2. It Appears!

That night, O'Shay could hear a scratching at his back door. He walked over and opened it, but nothing was there. "It must be my imagination.", but just as he walked away, he heard it again! This time he was close enough and he quickly ripped open the door. But instead of seeing a human, sitting, peacefully on the grass, was a small robotic dog. "Why hello little one.", O'Shay said. The dog soon replied, "Astro.", He said. "What?", Doctor asked, "Astro," the robot repeated.

"Astro.", O'Shay stepped into Astro's room, "There is a robot outside who I assume is wanting to meet you.". "What did he say?", Astro asked, "Well actually... All he spoke of was your name.". The two talked as they walked down the stairs, "Astro. I want you to be careful, something about this robot doesn't seem right.", O'Shay told him, "Of course Doctor.", Astro smiled.

"Okay, here he is.", Doctor O'Shay opened up the door. Astro looked around carefully, "Umm... I don't see any robots.", "Down here.", The robot dog said. "Oh hi fella, what's up?", "I think you already know what's up, Astro.", The Dog replied. Suddenly the door slammed shut and O'Shay started pounding on it. Astro gasped, "What the?-", but he was quickly interrupted, "Oh, I hope you don't mind having some privacy Astro?", but before he could reply the dog spoke again, "Good. Now get ready to be destroyed!". All of a sudden, red lasers came shooting out of the dogs forehead, aiming for Astro. Luckily, he dodged and flew out of the way. "Tell me! Who are you and why are you doing this!?", He asked, "Me? Oh I'm just one of Mutcase's dogs.", Astro looked shocked, "Mutcase?", "Yes and I was built to DESTROY YOU!". Yet again, a laser came out of the Muts head, but Astro dodged again, getting out his Digibeam. The mut laughed, it was easy to get Astro angry and yet it was just the beginning...

...

Astro Boy, Astro and Dr O'Shay (c) all belong to Osamu Tezuka

Mutcase is a character I made up for this Fan Fic so he does not belong to anybody.. Except myself...I guess? XD

Hope you enjoyed! :3


	3. The First Battle!

"Hurting me won't do you any good! Why not worry about yourself? Instead of those stupid humans! But don't worry, if you want to change and see them in pain then that'll come soon enough!", the dog spoke. Astro's Digibeam shone brightly. "You won't hurt them! Why not take your anger out on me?!", The Robot Dog smirked, "Oh don't worry, I will. You know, Love is your biggest weakness isn't it?", Astro looked angrily down at the dog, "No, Friendship makes me stronger because I know that there are many people and robots out there counting on me to do my best!". The mut looked confused, "But, even if that is true, you'd **still** risk everything, even **yourself** just for those pathetic people you call **friends**? Why do that for them when all they care about is **themselves**?", He smiled, "They do **not**! You're just trying to get into my head!". "And boy is it working?", the dog smirked. Astro shot his beam down to the ground next to the robot who quickly hopped out of the way. "Y'know, you really are pathetic! None of those petty humans actually **care** about you! The only reason **you're** here is to protect them so that none of them rot away into death early. You see, soon they'll shut you down and they won't even miss you! Why bother making relationship's with them if all they're going to do is wreck you? Hm? Tear you apart wire from wire and make you feel useless. Hm? And yet, you still care for them.", the dog spoke with a smirk on his face. Astro stayed in the air, his Digibeam still locked on the dog as he stared at it, "You know..", he breathed in, "I feel sorry for you.", he started. A confused look came onto the mut's electronic face. "It seems you don't really understand what it means to love somebody do you? The reason **I** protect everyone is because I want to! I could easily just sit by and watch everybody suffer but I don't! Because I know that there are people out there that need to be safe! Good or Bad, Robots or Humans, we need to come together! And 'Petty'? What do **you** know about them anyway? You don't even **know** how helpful and kind hearted everyone is here! So come on,", he shut away his Digibeam and slowly flew down to the ground, putting his hand toward the dog and smiling.  
The dog stared at him with wide, red eyes and was about to put his paw in Astro's hand before he cackled and shot his opponent in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Sparks flew around the robot boy as he put his hand up to his now broken shoulder. He grimaced. The robot dog stepped closer to him. "HA! You expect **ME** to join your idiotic little team of fools and help save those so-called**'friends'** of yours? Astro, they oWN you! You are not a human and never will be, so don't think you are! Get that into your simple robot mind!", the dog smirked again and a blue light came from his head and shined down on the boy, taking some power from his robotic brain. "Haha.. This is all I need for my master... I'll be back! I wonder if you'll have any common sense next time we fight? Perhaps you'll join me? Heheh...  
Till next time... Astro Boy.. **Haha!**" And with that final sentence, he was gone. "Who.. Was that? And what did he want?", Astro whispered to himself, his large brown eyes fading in colour.

Suddenly, the back door flung open. "ASTRO!", O'Shay yelled and looked around, trying to find his robot friend and that freaky dog. He stared to his left and saw Astro leaning on the ground. "Astro!", he ran towards him and spotted his injury. "Are you okay?", he asked, panicking a little. Astro lightly smiled up at him, "Yeah.. I think it's that dog we should be concerned about. I have a bad feeling that's not going to be the last we see of **him**.". O'Shay stared angrily down at him, "Look Astro. I don't want you going anywhere near that Mut again, Okay? If he can do **this**, then I'm sure there's **much** more that he's capable of!", Astro looked up at him with worry, "But Doctor! If I don't do **something** then I'm sure something terrible will befall Metro City! Or even the entire world! I can't just sit around an-", he saw the expression on O'Shay's face and sighed. "Okay...". The Doctor was about to reply before he heard snoring from beneath him. He smiled, picked him up and then took him to his bed.

"I don't like that dog.. Whoever he is.. I'll try and find something about it in the morning... But I can't let Astro know. He's bound to follow me!", he said to Nora. The house robot frowned, "I guess **I'M** being left to look after those mischief makers? Hm?", she moaned. O'Shay chuckled, "They can't be **that** difficult to handle, Nora!". The robot stared at him and started waving her tall arms about, "You don't know! When they're with you they're calm..er. With me? Total nightmares! They jump around the walls I tell you!", she made a strangling gesture. O"Shay laughed again, "Oh come on now, you're exaggerating! Plus, Astro's matured much more, he's responsible, so it's simpler for you!". Nora muttered to herself, "Mature? Responsible? Are you talking about the**same** robot **I** know?", she asked. "Perhaps you need a charge? You look and you'll see more than just a young robot". He sighed, _I say that and yet I __**still**__ don't like the idea of Astro fighting._...

-  
"...Now Astro. Are you ready for the greatest event in history?", Astro struggled, "No! Please, don't do this!". The person smirked, he had no **visible** face, all to be seen were his lips. "He's ready! GO MUTS!", he pointed forward. "**NOOOO**"-

-"G-AHHHHHH!", Astro screamed and sat up. He quickly breathed and stared at his bedside clock. "3:00am? It's really that early?...". The boy nearly smacked his head but grimaced as he remembered his hurt arm. He looked at his window from afar. Without any warning, his legs took him over towards it and he stared at the twinkling sky. "I know Doctor O'Shay told me not to go but... I have to. Something in that dream was just telling me. If I don't go... Everyone will die..", he muttered to himself and sighed.

-  
Astro Boy (c) Osamu Tezuka ^^


	4. A Missing Being

"Well, I think I have everything planned for tomorrow! Just don't tell Astro, okay?", Nora frowned, "This secret is going to be difficult to keep. Knowing Astro, if he spots a sign of me hiding something he'll try and get it out of me. Or Zoran will by leaping over me... CAN I COME WITH YOU!?", she frowned again. O'Shay rolled his eyes. He was about to leave grab a piece of toast before Nora came rushing back down the stairs. "O'SHAY!", he turned his head, "ASTRO'S GONE!", she squealed, waving her arms about. O'Shay got up, "WHAT?!"

-Not Long Before-  
"I know Doctor O'Shay told me not to go but... I have to. Something in that dream was just telling me. If I don't go... Everyone will die..", Astro muttered to himself and sighed. All of a sudden, he grabbed a small piece of paper and a pen and wrote a note on it. "Sorry Doctor...", he muttered, before opening his window and flying out...

O'Shay burst into his room and Nora kept pointing to the window, but O'Shay was too busy staring at something else. He stepped over to the bed and picked up a small, paper note. It read:

_Dear Doctor,  
I'm sorry, but I decided to go and find that dog. I know you told me specifically not to because you're worried, right? But you'll be even __**more**__ concerned if all of Metro City goes down the drain, which I have a bad feeling it will if I don't stop that Robot. Sorry again, but it's something I just __**have**__ to do!_

From, Astro

O'Shay smacked his head, "Oh no. I should've **known** he would've gone after him! I can't believe he was so reckless!", Nora nodded, "See! Now you know what **I** have to go through!", she groaned. O'Shay stared at her, "Yes, but this is worse! I don't even have any clue to where he may be headed!", he clenched his fist. Nora nodded at him, "We'll have to go and find him!", O'Shay agreed, "Look after Zoran for me okay?", and with that, he ran down the stairs. Nora just blinked, "All I ever do is look after these robots...", she mumbled.

Astro flew through the chilly skies of Metro City, trying to search for any signs to where the Robot Dog may be. He knocked his head with his hand, "C'mon Astro, **think**! Where **was** I in my dream?**C'mon**...". Suddenly, he spotted a series of deep, red lasers pointing into the dark, navy blue sky. It was kinda strange. He had a weird vibe from it, like he had seen it before... So, he flew over towards it.

O'Shay ran through the city calling his friends name, "Astro!**Astro!**! Inspector Tawashi opened his window and stared down at the large nosed scientist, "Heh! Lost your little robot have you? I'm really not surprised! He could be causing havoc right now!". O'Shay growled, "Oh just **shut up**, Tawashi! This is a **very** series matter we're in!", he snapped. Tawashi tensed up, "That's **no** way to speak to an Inspector! I could get you arrested... Somehow!", O'Shay rolled his eyes, "Look, I don't really care right now, okay? All I want to know, is if you've seen Astro around.". The Inspector smirked, "I could have... But maybe I won't tell you...", O'Shay stared at him angrily and he flinched, "Okay Okay! I haven't! Man you really care for those robot's don't you!?", he shook himself off. O'Shay stomped away, making his nose shake. "What did **I** do!?", Tawashi asked.

O'Shay sighed, "Where have you gone?", he clenched the piece of paper, "**Astro..**"

Astro Boy (c) Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka Productions...


	5. The Five? Musketeers!

O'Shay shut the door behind him and Nora raised her hand to her head, "Robots these days...". Suddenly, Reno came slowly walking down the stairs, yawning and stretching. "H..Hey, What's all the..", he yawned again, "...Commotion?". Nora tried as best she could to hide the secret from the child but somehow, it just slipped out. "Is something wrong?", Reno asked. He could tell from Nora's face that something bad had happened, he had seen acting from all the circus performances he'd been in so he knew this wasn't a joke. "Well... You see... Astro...", but before she could finish, Reno already could tell what was up, "Astro's Gone!?". Nora waved her arms about, "I-I didn't say that I-", Reno slipped on a jacket and some shoes as quickly as he could, "I've gotta go help find him! Nora, look after Zoran!" And he slammed the door.

Nora raved about, "O'Shay's going to dismantle me! And Wait! Why is it that all I ever do is look after these three?", she pouted.

...

"Astro!", O'Shay called some more, but with no luck._Where on earth could he be?-_ "DOCTOR O'SHAY!", Reno came sprinting up towards his carer and he stopped to gasp for breath. "Reno? What are **you** doing out here?", O'Shay asked, very confused. The boy looked up, "I found out about Astro and I came to give you some assistance!". O'Shay blinked, "Nora told you?", Reno blushed, "N-Not exactly... I'll explain later! Right now, we gotta find him! Perhaps Kennedy saw him fly by?". The two nodded at each other and they ran in the direction of Ken's house.

...

Astro flew closer to the lasers, twirling around in the sky, touching the clouds. He stared at them as they shone brighter. There was just something about them that was... Familiar... Like something from long ago...

...

"Are you **sure** you want to wake him up?", O'Shay asked. Reno stared at the window, "We have to. The more the merrier.", he breathed in and O'Shay covered his ears, just in case. "I'm sorry if I sound loud but... **KEN! WAKE UP! ASTRO NEEDS OUR URGENT HELP! NOW~!**", he stepped back, "Good enough?", he grinned. Kennedy opened up his bedroom window straight away, yawning. "W-What? What happened?!", the two looked up, "We'll explain later, you just need to help us, now!". Ken quickly burst out the door and walked over to them, "I just told my parents that I had something I needed to attend to that may or may not involve the human race being torn to pieces! Cause 'cmon, it's the truth!", Reno giggled. "Anyway, I'll go get the others! Whatever's going on is better with more than three, right?", O'Shay nodded as the boy ran off down the street.

...

Astro stared closely at the lasers. What was it about them? Suddenly, he stopped **dead** in his tracks and everything seemed to go slower...

...  
Fireworks of many different colours burst in the sky and trickled with beauty. "Wow! That firework looked **just** like our robot! Didn't it dad?!", a bearded man kneeled down and smiled, "Yes, it did Tobio!". The boy was very happy. It was because this was one of the only times he and his father had ever got to spend quality time together. Other times, they had been parted... All of a sudden, a ringtone went off. The man sighed, "Wait here, Tobio", he told his son, walking to the side. The little boy didn't hear much of the conversation, his ears were filled with loud cheers and music; But he was able to hear a few words from his father's side of the call. "Yes. Really?... Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can!", the man walked over to this son. "Look Toby, I have to go, something came up, okay?", the child's face fell. Yep. It was happening again. It was really no surprise. He should've **known** that something like this would come up, it always did. "Sano! Keep an eye on Tobio for me!", he called. A tall man with dark, brown hair waved, "'Kay!". He turned around and smirked at the child, frightening him. Red lasers shone in the sky and caught the boy's attention before he saw his father walking away. Tears welled up in his eyes, "No.. Dad.. **Don't leave me!**"...

...  
Astro was woken up from his memory by the feel of static around his body. He clutched his shoulder and shook away what he had just remembered. Who exactly **was** that 'Sano' guy? He didn't know, but Astro got goosebumps at the very thought of him.

...

"Gosh! We're like the Four Musketeers!", Abercrombie said, walking like a soldier. Alejo butted in, "But there are **five** of us!", Reno joined in too, "And weren't there only **three **Musketeers?". Abercrombie shrugged, "Ahh, **who cares? **We're awesome anyway!", Ken smacked his forehead, "We're **here** to find **Astro** and nothing else!", he told him. "What's got **you** so tense?", the blonde asked. Ken clenched his fists, "**The fact that one of our best friends is missing! That's what!**", Reno and Alejo nodded. Alejo rubbed his chin, "C'mon guys, let's **think**! Where would Astro go to?", O'Shay stepped closer, "The question **is**, where would that **Mutt** go to? Astro's **definitely** followed him. But where could they be?". Reno pointed to the sky, "Maybe.. Over **there**!". The group all looked over to a set of lasers dancing in the air. O'Shay nodded, "Of course! Good work, Reno!", the boy grinned and his cheeks flushed up a bit. "Men! **Let's Go!**", Abercrombie marched forward. They all stared awkwardly at him. "I wish you would just stop doing that..", Ken smacked his head...

...

Here's the latest chapter! Small.. Kinda... But it has detail! AND! ANNND a flashback! Hurray! I had to rewrite some of this because when I updated it, I forgot to save it! (I was on my phone).. But luckily, all I had to **rewrite** was the flasback part! Phew... More action in the next chapter! I promise! :3  
Now I just wish I could remember Alejo's name... ):[

Astro Boy, Mighty Atom, Tetsuwan Atom (c) Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka Productions


	6. ATT - Information Mutt

The small robot landed softly on the ground, beside the Lasers. In front of him was a tall, white building, covered in vertical lines. The lasers pierced through the roof. _This __**must**__ be the place!_, the boy thought. Astro carefully stepped inside the building. He looked around him, he was surrounded by large structures. Each one was unique, some were pointed while others were rounded to the brim. Astro found them all very fascinating. For some reason, he felt very drawn to them. The robot's bright red boots took him closer toward them, were he was able to get a more detailed intake. "Woah...", he whispered to himself in awe. Every piece had magnificent detail, and, just like the building itself, was lined with stripes. Astro spotted something and bent down. The one he was looking at had the initials A.T.T engraved at the very bottom of it, followed by the words "Destruction Revolution", which didn't sound good. The robot was too busy staring that he never even heard the sound of a voice coming from beside him. "Hey, Kid..", the voice spoke again, this time, Astro heard and turned his head toward another structure. How was this thing talking to him? All of a sudden, he spotted a gap in the tall device. Astro looked closer and saw a pair of eyes and the head of a robot. Astro's senses were telling him that this robot was very weak. "Kid...", he said again, "You've got to help us...", he coughed. Astro pulled his head in closer as the robot coughed again, "Him... He'll... He'll...", Astro's pupils widened, "Who? He'll do what?". The robot's eyes enlarged, "Look out!", he yelled. Astro turned his head as fast as he could, but he was too late to even guess what was going on. Suddenly, one of the structures blew up, sending the others to crash and burn. Then, the rest of the building blew too. Astro squealed as he flew through the doorway and slammed into the ground.

...  
Abercrombie kept marching with a large grin on his face. Reno leaned in close to Ken, "Is he ever gonna give this up?", he whispered. Ken shrugged, "Not likely...", he said with a groan. Alejo sniffed the air, "Um, guys? Do you smell smoke?". Ken looked upward, "OVER THERE!", everyone looked to where Ken was pointing to. Smoke was flowing through the air and bright red flames were seen from nearly a mile away. "ASTRO!", they yelled in unison.

...  
Astro opened his eyes and stared at the burning building. "NO!", he yelled. He smacked his hand against his forehead. If he had just payed more attention instead of looking at the darn scenery, then he would've been able to save that, and what other robots, may have been in there. "Ah, Astro! I see you finally made it to my humble abode!", a familiar voice said. Astro moved his hand from his face and looked up, "YOU!", he cried. It just happened to be the mutt from earlier, his assumptions were correct. "A-**HEM**! I **have** a name, Y'know! Which you'll find out later!", he told him. Astro growled and yelled up at him, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?!". The mutt stared at the firey building, "Ah! I see! Yes... Robotona.. Such a pleasant robot. Shame he was too much of a coward to co-operate, hmm?", he smirked.  
Astro held onto his shoulder and stood up. The mutt stared at him, "Oh don't worry, I'm not here to fight! I just came to have a good old chat! It's not likely you'd win anyway, with what little strength you have left", he said, smirking. Astro stood straight, "Okay. You better start speaking the truth!", he yelled. The dog twitched his ears, "Why of course! But my, what's gotten into you? Such attitude!", Astro shook his head, "Ugh! Don't you understand?! Some fellow robots were just destroyed in there! Why are you doing this?! We can all be friends! Humans **and** robots!". The robot dog closed his eyes and smirked, "I admire your integrity, Astro. You have such a strong belief that we can all connect, no matter what those humans do to you.. Tsk, Tsk... Silly Astro.. Don't you know that we were made to serve? And that now we need to rebel against those who once teased us, used us... You are not human, how many times do I have to say that?", Astro flew up to height of the robot and tried to ignore what he just said. "So, you said you have a name, right?", the dog stared at him, "Oh, I see, changing the subject! Well, alright then. I'll just get to the point, young boy...", he coughed, "My name, is Merc, short for Mercury and I am a robot dog created by, Mutcase, who you have heard of before from our previous encounter. Basically, I was made... To kill you!", the dog shot a missile out, which Astro easily dodged. The missile hit the ground, making it explode.

...  
The five ran towards their destination. "Nearly there! Just a little bit longer!", O'Shay told the boys. "I sure hope he's okay!", Alejo said, losing breath. "Me too!", Reno said. He remembered how kind Astro was to him when they had first met. Straight away he knew he wasn't a robot and he understood that he was just trying to protect his family. Ken put his hand on Reno's shoulder, "I'm sure he'll be okay!", he smiled, "I mean C'mon, this is **Astro** we're talking about here! He never backs down!", he winked. "That's the problem..", O'Shay whispered to himself.

Astro twisted out of the way of the attack. "Hey! I thought you said this **wasn't** a fight!", he said. The dog smiled, "Oh, trust me, it's not. I just wanted to show you what I'm capable of, my boy!". The circuits in Astro's shoulder sparked brightly, "If you ask me... Ugh, You've already done that!", he said, "Come on! We don't **need** to fight! Violence is **not** the answer! Please!". The dog stared deeply into Astro's kind eyes and froze in place for a minute. The robot boy noticed this and also didn't move a single muscle.

"**ASTRO!**", the boy heard his name and suddenly snapped out of his gaze, along with Mercury. "D-Doctor O'**Shay**?!", he turned to face him. Mercury looked down at them and growled, "I guess now's not the right time. Until next time, Astro...", a blue light quickly shone onto Astro and Mercury flew away. "Wait!", the boy called, but the dog was already far in the clouds. Astro landed on the ground and his friends ran over to him, "**We were so worried about you!**", they cried, smiles appearing on their faces. "I'm sorry. I really should've let you guys know what I was doing.", he said. O'Shay smiled, "Well, as long as you're alright!". Astro put his hand up to his head, "Why.. Do I feel.. So..", he whispered before collapsing. Luckily, the others caught him. "D..Doctor. I think the dog, Mercury, must've taken some energy from me.", Alejo put his hand on his chin, "Well, that explains that blue light!", Astro nodded. "Y-Yeah...". Suddenly, Detective Tawashi appeared on the scene. "Is everything okay?", he called, running toward them, he spotted the little robot. "Astro!", Astro smiled, "Don't worry, I'm okay..", he told him, standing up. Tawashi turned his head, trying to hide any emotion what's so ever, "Oh. Well.. I was only concerned for the sake of the city. It's not like I care about you or anything...", he tried to hide his cheeks that were turning red. O'Shay stared sternly at him. "**Well!**", he started, "**We** better get going, **Detective**! Excuse **us**", They all walked off, not saying a word.

"So, did I miss anything important while you were looking for me?", Astro asked. Ken shrugged, "Nothing much, beside Abercrombie pretending to be a solider and us worrying our buts off!". Astro sighed, He **really** didn't like worrying his friends. "I'm sorry.", he said again. They all looked at him and smiled. "You're okay right? So there's no need to worry! We're not mad or anything!", Reno huffed, "Maybe a little... You shouldn't go off like that!", he said, throwing his arms in the air. "Calm down Reno!", O'Shay chuckled, "I'm sure there was a good reason why all of this happened, right Astro?", he winked at him and the little robot smiled, nodding. "Yeah.". "It better be good this time! You **missed** being a solider!", Abercrombie moaned. Everyone stared awkwardly at him but Astro just ended up laughing. This was the life wasn't it?

...AUTHOR'S MESSAGE...  
WhOoooooo! I've completed Chapter Six! Phew, this one took a while! Really, it did! You see, I tried to fit in as much detail, backing and emotion into this one. I also wanted it to be longer for once, and boy did that all pay off! (I hope). Y'Know, this has nothing to do with the Chapter but, I am just obsessed with the song "Robot Boy" by Linkin Park lately! I'd suggest you guys go check it out! It really fits with Astro! And not just by the title either! HaHa! Well, I hope you all enjoyed and **guess what**!? **I remembered Alejo's name!** Hurray! Now let's hope it stays in my head!

Astro Boy, Mighty Atom, Tetsuwan Atom (c) Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka Productions

XxX


	7. A Message of The Past

Astro lay in the heated, bubbly water and soaked in the atmosphere around him. He didn't _usually_ take a bath; he was a robot for goodness sake, but since he was waterproof, the little robot thought he might just do it. He sat in the bath, his mind deep in thought. The gears in his head just kept turning and turning. There had been a lot of things that had been bothering him. For one, what did those initials, A.T.T stand for and **who** was that Sano person from the past? The robot who had been blown to smithereens also kept popping into his mind. Astro sighed deeply and sank his head under the water, just leaving his eyes and forehead visible. He slowly closed his eyes, trying to keep all the worries away.

Silence. That's all he could hear. Beside the odd dripping of water that occasionally made it's way into his eardrum. "**Big Brother!**", Astro's eye sockets suddenly opened and he looked up at the door which had creaked open. "HEY!", Zoran grinned. Astro nearly leapt a foot in the air, "ZORAN! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M HAVING A BATH HERE!?", he yelled. Zoran tilted her head, "Well, it's not like you ever wear any clothes anyway.", she pointed her finger at him strictly. Astro's cheeks flushed a shade of rouge, "Oh.. Yeah..". Without any warning, Zoran leapt into the bath. "GAH! ZORAN!". The younger robot giggled. "Aww man, Zoran! You got water in my eyes!", Astro moaned, rubbing his face. Zoran looked at him, "Sorry Astro!", but despite that, she started to splash water onto her brother. Astro gaped, "Zoran! This isn't the beach Y'know!", his sister giggled again, "I know!", she threw a large amount of warm water over her older brother. Astro growled and Zoran stopped for a minute. "Okay.. **That's it!**", he yelled, splashing water over Zoran, "You didn't think you'd get away with it did you!?". The two robots started laughing joyfully, playing together. This seemed to calm Astro down a bit, he didn't feel as uptight and shaken as before.

...  
O'Shay could hear the laughing from above him. It was nice to hear them so happy. Reno took a sip of his orange juice and smiled, "Hey, Reno..", O'Shay turned to him, "Yeah?", "Well, I was wondering. Last night, did Astro seem distracted to you?". The boy took a bite of his sandwich and gulped it down, "No, why?", he replied, simply. The Doctor shrugged, "I don't know, it's just.. He seemed a little, deep in thought since he returned and I was just wondering if you knew anything about it is all.", Reno smiled, "No, I don't...", he put his glass down, "But I think we should just leave him to figure it out on his own, and then, he can tell us when he feels the time is right!". O'Shay relaxed in his chair, "You Know what? I couldn't have said it any better myself!".

...  
Astro sat at his desk, perched on this twirling chair. He stared down at the lined paper as he wrote the initials, **A.T.T **down with his pen. Without warning, a droplet of water fell over the writing, making it slurr and flow down the page._Darn. I must've forgotten to dry my "Hair" earlier_, the robot sighed; It didn't really matter, all he wanted to do right now, was re-charge and go to sleep. He had been awake the night before and his morning had been filled with having his shoulder fixed and of course the bath with Zoran. In that time he hadn't got a wink of sleep and he was starting to feel a little woozy. Astro yawned and walked down the stairs to charge.

"_**Astro...**_"

...  
As Astro stepped back up the stairs, he stretched his arms towards the sky. Good thing it was a Saturday otherwise he would've been fried circuits for skipping school just because he was warn out. The robot closed his door behind him and for some reason, walked over to his desk. "AHHH!", Astro screamed, falling backwards onto the ground. "That's gonna leave a dent...", he said, rubbing his butt. Suddenly, Reno came bursting into the room, "**Are you okay!?**", he asked, "Did something happen?". Astro stood up and dusted off his arms, "Not... _exactly_..", he told him, "Look at this.", they both walked over to the desk and the second Reno saw it, he flinched. On the paper, instead of it saying A.T.T, the spilt ink spelt **T.O.B.I.O**... Tobio.

Reno had known about Astro's past so this wasn't freaky at all... Well, except for the fact that **Tobio** was randomly written down on the paper; and obviously Astro knew nothing of how it got there; he wouldn't write that himself.. Unless he was going insane, that is.

"It wasn't there when I went downstairs", Astro started, "but when I came back, **here it was**! In bold writing!". Reno stared at him, "We should show O'Shay!", he told him. Astro nodded back at his friend and they ran down the stairs. "DOCTOR O'SHAY!", the yelled together, pointing at him like a pair of **Power Rangers**, "WE HAVE SOMETHING YOU NEED TO SEE!".

...AUTHOR NOTE...  
A new chapter. This one is really strange and took a while to write. You see, I find it easier to write the **longer, larger detailed** chapters than I do these ones. Basically because I already have a good idea of what's going to happen and how I want everything to be described. Aren't I strange? xD Anyway, in this one, I ended up putting Astro in a bath. I know, weird huh? Yeah, I was having a bath myself the other day and just instantly thought that Astro in a bath would start the newest chapter off! Well at least it worked! Well, time for Chapter 8 I guess! (I have sooooo much to do! So little time ;-;)

Astro Boy, Mighty Atom, Tetsuwan Atom (c) Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka Productions...

Power Rangers (c) Whoever the HELL made it! XD I dunno, I've never watched it! Except for a tiny bit randomly... XD


	8. Mighty Morphin' Ghosts!

"DOCTOR O'SHAY! WE HAVE SOMETHING YOU NEED TO SEE!", the two boys shouted in unison. Reno whispered to his robot friend, "See. I **knew** that posing session would pay off!", Astro rolled his eyes, "You watch too much **Power Rangers**", he told him. Reno turned red, "**That's NOT what I watch!**", he yelled. O'Shay stood up, "What is it?", he asked, trying to hide his worry. Astro stepped forward, "**This**", he said, handing the paper forward. O'Shay stared at it and flinched in the exact same way Reno had. The robot explained again, "It wasn't there at first, but when I came back to my room, that was mysteriously written on the top of it.". O'Shay stared at it, "Right! We have to get to the bottom of this!", "'Kay!", Astro replied, running to the door, but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "But, tomorrow!", O'Shay told him, "Yeah, Astro you're worn out. I can see it in your eyes-' Reno mentioned. Astro smiled, lightly, "I'm fine, really!", "Look Astro. I **know** you wanna help but you're not doing the city, or yourself, any good fighting with no strength. Are ya?". Astro yawned, "I guess you're right.. But Reno if I dream about **Power Rangers**tonight them I **swear** I'm blaming it on **you**!", he laughed, Reno growled and pushed his friend up the stairs, "For the **last time** that's**not** what I watch!".

O'Shay took a closer look at the paper once they had gone. "Hmmmm"...

...  
Astro sat up and stared at his bedside clock. The green, digital lights flashed **10:24** straight at him. He never realised he'd been asleep so long. He got out of bed and opened his bedroom door, careful not to wake anyone. The light was on downstairs so **someone** was awake. Astro quietly walked down the steps and suddenly stopped to see Nora running a rampage with her arms flying about. "Uh, Nora? What's wrong?", he asked, slowly. Nora turned to him, "THE GHOSTS ARE HERE!", she shouted. Astro scratched his head, "Ghosts?", he was actually kind of surprised that Nora hadn't woken anyone. O'Shay sighed and walked towards them, "Hello Astro..", Astro stared at him, "May I ask?", O'Shay looked up at him, "Well you see, I told Nora about the writing and ghosts immediately popped into her mind. Now she's going crazy..".

"So that's it, huh?", Astro whispered to himself and stepped up to the female robot, "Hey Nora,", she turned to him. Astro put his hands on her shoulders and smiled kindly at her, "Don't worry, there are **no**ghosts here. I promise!". Nora suddenly calmed down, "I guess you're correct... Thank you, Astro", with that, she went off to her usual chores. _Maybe he __**has**__ matured..._, she thought to herself. O'Shay scratched his nose, "Well.. I never saw **that** coming!", he started, "But Astro, why **are** you awake so late?", he asked his robot friend. Astro smiled at him, "I kinda just wanted to have a fly to have a think about some stuff.", O'Shay looked sternly at him like some sort of beast. Someway, Astro **knew** what he was hinting at, "Don't worry! I'm **not** going to see Merc! I promise!". O'Shay knew deep down that Astro would never break a promise, "I trust you.. Go on!", he gestured to the door. Astro grinned and flew out the back door, "Thanks!", he said as O'Shay grabbed onto the doorway, "Just be **careful**!", he yelled back.

"He sure has matured...", the Doctor muttered to himself.

...AUTHORS NOTE...  
Another chapter! I'm on a role! This one's pretty simple, **I just wanna get onto writing the action!** Though, I only get to **that**when I feel the time is ready! Right **now** I'm focusing on the mysterious writing! You see, this fanfiction is a mixture of **many**genres! Mystery, action, adventure, friendship, emotion... Everything! Another reason why I enjoy writing it I guess! (I also love making the Reno scenes! They're always so hilarious for some reason xD)  
I'm **also** in the middle of writing two **other** Astro fics at the moment (As well as Ponies, Precure... Phew! No wonder I'm sweating xD) One is a one-off of Astro and Atlas camping (Trust me, It'll be **hilarious**) while the other is another Chapter Series which includes **Slenderman**! Ooooh! Anyway, thanks for reading! I'll see you next time!

Astro Boy, Tetsuwan Atom, Mighty Atom (c) Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka Productions, Mushi Tv

Power Rangers (c) Whoever made it...


	9. A Delightful Flight

The little robot soared swiftly through the pale Navy skies. Multiple stars twinkled around him and the white moonlight shone over his calm face. All of the clouds shifted slightly, forming into a new shape with a delicate, unique appearance. Not a sound was to be heard, not even to his super-sonic hearing was anything audible for listening. Despite that, one thing that was heard, was the 'whooshing' of the cool, soft air. It blew against him gently, making the boy close his eyes. The scent of Ramen and Croissant filled the air, giving a new aroma to the sky.

Everything seemed so peaceful and warm. Astro stayed still for a while, before getting his jets revved up and bursting though the clouds. Making it rain slightly. Astro smiled while floating around Metro City. He absolutely adored it, flying. The adrenaline, the feel of the wind blowing around you as you zoom past it, incredible. A warm spark of energy flowed through Astro. It was heaven to him. He soared higher into the air before, head first, bursting through a giant silver cloud. Water flew out with him, sending a chilling shiver down his metal spine. He stared at the rain pouring down over the city. It was glistening, creating tiny rainbows all over the apartments, churches, everywhere. Astro clenched his hands together by his heart and smiled. He couldn't have ever asked for a better life.

Closing his eyes, he thought, _One last flight and I'll go back_. His large brown eyes glissened with delight and anticipation, he moved his hands away from his chest and immediately started to spin. Once he had finished his 360, Astro flew forward, straight, placing his arm downward so he could touch the now-damp clouds. The Scientists were right, they **did** feel like peach fuzz and cotton candy. Astro loosened up as he twirled up and down throughout the skies of Metro City. He took a large intake of the air and his surroundings. The robot looked down; the lights in Metro City were nearly all off, signifying how late it **really** was. Sometimes, Astro found the lights of the city calming, but really, he preferred the stars. They were just so bright and full of natural beauty, unlike those in lamps and Nightlights. Taking one last, final look around him, Astro took a dive through the air and flew back to his home. As he went back, he realised how much he would love it if everyone could do this. If humans could fly that is. It would **definitely **erase **any** negativity and maybe even bring robots and humans together.

Astro smiled. Flying was the one ability that gave him the warm feeling that everything would be okay...

...AUTHORS NOTE...  
Just a small chapter, but I sure **loved** writing this one! I guess I just like writing scenes like this, with a detailed, positive view of things. It's nice to put Astro in this position too, showing how happy he is when flying, which is something never portrayed in the show. I just wanted to give a chapter of joy and warmth, so here it is! Oh, one thing I **didn't **add, was his signature phrase, "Let's Rocket!", basically because I wanted this to be an anti-vocal piece to give everything a sense of quiet peace and detail. Sure, I added the _Italic_, to show what he was thinking, but that's a different story. No-one except **you** can hear your innerspeech (Unless someone can read minds xD), so that's why that's there. Plus, it adds another section to his calmness here.

Arigato for reading! Xxx

Astro Boy, Tetsuwan Atom, Mighty Atom (c) Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka Productions, Mushi Tv


	10. A Fearful Surprise

A boy stood out in the crisp, white snow. He had a large smile on his face and his chocolate-coloured eyes glistened with delight as flakes fell swiftly from the clouds above. Winter had got to be one of his **favourite** seasons. It was just so pretty! All of a sudden, a man in a green suit walked by and grabbed him by the wrist, "C'mon, **Toby**, we need to get back!", he moaned. The boy stared sadly at him from behind, "It's Tobio!", he mumbled. The man turned around, "What did you say!?", the little boy flinched, "Nothing! M.. Mr Malefo"

...

"Malefo?", Astro whispered to himself as half of his consciousness came flooding back to him. He blinked and suddenly found himself falling! The robot tried to fly, yet, for some unknown reason, his jets failed to co-operate, "Not now! C'mon!", he moaned. He tried again. No luck! Astro closed his eyes tightly before feeling an arm around him. "Heh. Sup, little brother?", Astro immediately opened his eyelids and turned his head; a large smile revealing itself on his face. "Atlas!", he cried. Out of the blue, Astro's jets started to work again and to the older robot's surprise, he twirled around and grabbed onto him. "Woah! Are you okay?", he asked with a chuckle. Astro couldn't get the grin off of his face, "I just.. I thought something had happened to you! I mean I haven't seen you in so long!", he told him, "I'm so glad you're okay!". Atlas smiled and patted the youngster on the back, "Heh. Don't worry, nothing's happened. Besides, even if something **did**, you wouldn't expect me to go down without a **fight** would ya?". Astro smiled up at him and let go, he knew Atlas was only speaking metaphorically; he wouldn't harm anyone anymore. Or, at least he wouldn't **kill** anyone. "So..", Atlas started, "Why are you out here so late?", he asked. Astro breathed in, "Well...", he told Atlas the **whole** story.

...

"And I just don't know what to do about those initials!", he finished. Atlas put his hand up to his chin, "Hmm.. That happened to **me** once...", he said. Astro stared at him closely, surprise all over his face, "**Really?!**". Atlas smirked, "**Of course not!** Man, you're**so** gullible!", he put his hand down on the other robot's head and rubbed it, "You worry too much, Y'know! Stop thinkin' about it so hard or you're gonna wear yourself out! And whatever's goin' on, I'm sure you'll figure it out!", he gave Astro a smirk before flying off into the distance.

"Don't worry.. Huh?"...

...

The next day, Doctor O'Shay was getting on his coat, along side Reno and Zoran. "Right Astro, Nora, we're just heading out to the science exhibition. We'll be back in about two hours.", he told them, "Kay!", in which Astro replied from the top of the stairs as they headed off. The only reason **he** wasn't going was because he had a school essay on the Science of Holographic Arenas to complete. Usually, Astro would've had **this** done in a snap, but with everything going on lately, he hadn't even **thought** about it until Reno had reminded him. The robot sat down at his computer and started typing.

_Tap, Tap, Tap..._  
**_Holographic Arenas are still rather mysterious to an ordinary human brain, but to scientists and robots, these areas are a simple bind of the tricky technology of a physicist and the vision of an artist. It may be an artificial, man-and-robot-made place, but still it has the beauty of the original earth's crust. Grass as bright as the sun, trees as tall as the sky and watery objects of grace. But even with this in mind, third dimensional Holograms are found as a pretty hard thing to understand with a complex overlay of gears and design. This is because these Holograms are not translucent, you can't just stick your arm straight through them, these specially created pieces are fixed together in a way that you can touch them. Feel their energy and..._**  
_Tap, Tap, Tap..._

...

Astro rubbed his eyes. He must've been staring at the screen too long. To be fair, he**had** written six, outstretched, separate paragraphs of his work **already**, and that was**before** he had even **gotten** onto the incredible abilities and effect the science **had** on everything. Astro wiped the sweat of his forehead and smiled lightly, "Maybe I just go **on**too much... I'm sure Zoran would approve of that!", he laughed to himself and decided he would go and help Nora as a break, or, what at least would get him from that computer monitor.

As he left his room a voice echoed, "**_Astro~_**"

...

"Oh, WOW~!", Zoran's eyes sparkled, "Everything so fantastical! It's like a dream!", she leapt about and O'Shay followed. "Wait! Don't jump on that.", he gasped, grabbing her, "S-Sorry, about that.", he said, sweating. His eyes were drawn at Reno, who was looking at something placed on the wall, his hand on his chin. "Hey Doctor O'Shay, check this one out.", the man stepped closer, "**This** one's about the secrets and wonder behind third dimensional Holographic Areas around Metro City. It even lists a few of the more wondrous places that are filled with them! Man, I bet Astro would've **loved** this for his project!". Zoran stood on her tiptoes, pointing up, "Ooh! Ooh! And **this** one too! It might not have anything to do with his work, but **I** think he'd like it!", Reno walked forward, "So, this one's about the velocity of flight huh? It seems pretty interesting, actually!". Zoran blushed a bit, "See, I-I told you! I know Astro better than nearly**anyone**", she stood tall and bold.

...

The young robot re-entered his room and cracked his knuckles, ready for **more** work. He was _kinda_ on a roll; **especially** after all that **sleep** he had the day before. He stepped over to his computer and was about to sit down before he **noticed** something on the screen. The letters were written in a **bold**, un-ordinary manner, with a **large**, **drooping**font to define them. His large brown eyes scrolled through it. The letters spelt:

...

|

|

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

|

|

| |

| |

...

...

|

|

|

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

... T.O.B.I.O... Tobio...

Astro screamed and fell over. With his eyes still **locked** on the screen he crawled backwards across the floor until he found himself up against the wall. He leaned up it. He felt like he was trapped in a cage with some sort of device. That if he moved, or even **blinked**, he would set off a nuclear bomb or something. Sweat poured down his face like rain water, but he didn't **dare** wipe it away, just in case he attracted some sort of monster! His heart was thumping **brashly** in his chest, so much that it pained him. He gulped, his whole body **quivering** in fear. All he wanted right now, was to just **wake up**from this psychological nightmare that he was having. But he didn't. What he was experiencing right now, **was REAL**. Still feeling frightened, Astro squinted his eyes, trying **so hard** not to blink and gradually shuffled towards the door, not taking his eyes off the screen for even a **split** second. Once he was close enough, Astro grabbed the handle and _**slipped**_ out the door as **fast** as he could. The second he was out, he SLAMMED his bedroom door behind him and gasped. His "Breathing" had gone haywire and he was still feeling staticy. Feeling weak and tired, Astro slid down the door and pulled his knees high up to his chest, **just** hiding his head in them. The little robot tried to stop himself from shaking, but couldn't. He closed his large eyes which were full with fright and shook his head slowly. _What __**Is**__ all this?!_, he thought, the voice in his head was all clunky, like someone had torn his vocals slightly. _Am I going insane? Will I go back in there and find that everything's normal again?_, he asked himself, biting his bottom lip harshly.

"Why...", he whispered.

...AUTHOR NOTE...  
Wow! **Chapter 10 already?** And yet I was **originally** gonna discontinue this from chapter TWO! Well... No! Anyway, this is a rather psychologically worrying chapter for our main character! I know he probably **wouldn't** react in such a way the **first** time if this was actually in the series, but the **second** time is a **completely** different issue! I mean, it's **happened**... **again**! (Quite soon after, too! Haha) Just as the previous one, I tried to put as **much** detail and vocabulary into this chapter and it surely payed off! Also, **Atlas makes his big appearance!** Just because! So~... YEAH! Oh! Also, guys, PLEASE~ go check out the Astro Boy Story, **Karma**, on ! It's REALLY good and I could not stop until I had read all eight, fantastical chapters! (Plus, it kinda gave me inspiration for the Tap, Tap, Tap, in this chapter ;D)

Astro Boy, Mighty Atom, Tetsuwan Atom (c) Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka Productions, Mushi Tv


	11. The Hurt, Pain and Care

Astro sat in the soundless, dark hall by his bedroom door, alone. All of a sudden, he heard a knocking at the front door and he could clearly hear a voice calling his name. He recognised it; it was raspy and rebellious, so much that as soon as he heard it, the boy knew **exactly** who it was. He rushed down the stairs and opened the front door a crack, revealing his face. "Atlas...", he whispered, opening the door completely. "Hey! I just came over to see if you were ok-huh?", The little robot stared up at him with wide, fearful eyes; Atlas could tell something wasn't right. "Astro? What's wrong?", he asked as calmly as possible. Astro's sight fogged and he finally cracked. He immediately grabbed onto his older brother and cried deeply into him. Atlas was rather shocked, he had never **seen** Astro cry before, but straight away, he knew what to do. He wrapped his arms around him tightly, "Something **did** happen, didn't it?", he asked again, this time with a certain tone of voice. Astro refused to speak and instead, just nodded simply. Atlas sighed and tried to soothe his little brother. "Shh, it's okay, I'm here", he whispered, Astro started choking on his own tears, sniffling and coughing.

As soon as Astro had calmed down, Atlas kneeled to the his height, putting his hands on his shoulders and staring straight into his damp eyes. He asked again, "Astro, what happened?". Astro took a step back and wiped his eyes, "Follow me..", he sniffed.

...

"Is this all? Seriously, you have no reason to worry about this!", Atlas said, snootily. Astro sighed, "I know it's stupid but.. but you don't understand. Sometimes... Sometimes I think that Tenma's gonna come and find me.. dismantle me...", he tensed up, "And.. **And that I won't be able to see YOU or ANYONE ELSE, EVER AGAIN!**", he screamed as tears started trickling down his face. Astro cuffed his hands over his face and sobbed into them. Atlas stared down at him with sympathetic eyes, he had obviously gone too far, "I'm sorry.. I shouldn't've said that..", he knelt down, "You're really brave, y'know that? I guess I'm just not **used** to seeing you cry, it's not nice". Atlas wiped his brother's tears away, "Be the strong robot I know you are, okay? Don't let this get you down! You are **Astro**! The most **heroic** robot in the world! And I'm **proud** to have **you** as my little brother", Astro smiled lightly, "Just **don't** tell anyone I was nice to you, alright?", Atlas grinned. Without warning, Astro embraced the teenager, "I promise", he whispered.

...

"We're back!", O'Shay called from the door, taking his coat off. He was rather surprised when Atlas came walking down the stairs. "Atlas! what're **you** doing here?", he asked with a smile. The robot stepped up to him, "I just came over to see Astro, who, by the way, is asleep right now!", O'Shay looked up at him, "Asleep? Again? But he was sleeping all day yesterday! Maybe he has a virus or something?". Atlas put his hand up to his chin, "Perhaps... Or maybe it's from all the shock he's been put through today, yeah, that could be it...". O'Shay suddenly paused, "What do you mean shock? Did something happen?", his eyes were wide, full with confusion and worry. The two sat down on the sofa together, "Well you see, it seems Astro got another one of those messages. This time on his computer. It was written out in large, **bold** letters too.", at this point, O'Shay was gaping, "**Another** one!? **Really**!? Wait. How do **you** know about the other one, Atlas?". Atlas turned his head toward the man, "He told me last night when we bumped into each other. Y'know, this second letter has really frightened him. He was crying and everything... He's worried that Dr. Tenma will come and dismantle him or something...". O'Shay took a sip of his tea and sighed. Putting his cup down, he replied, "Atlas. Can I ask you a favour?"...

...AUTHOR NOTE...  
Just a short one today, but this has gotta be the most emotional chapter in the series. I've always liked the way Atlas and Astro were considered brothers so I decided I would add more of that into my story! Hurray! I don't **think**I was **originally** gonna make Astro cry, but I wanted to write that "Cracking" scene for him, when he just needs someone to talk to and rescue him from the pain. So this is how it turned out, short, but nice!

Astro Boy, Mighty Atom, Tetsuwan Atom (c) Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka Productions, Mushi Tv


	12. Searchin', Researchin', ATT

Someone with his pair of bright red boots stood alone in a cold, foggy area. The wind was blowing violently and lightning struck suddenly in the sky, but where? Nobody knew. The fog was too thick for anyone to even comprehend the damage of the storm. Rain trickled down from the "non-visible" clouds, making the path slippery. But for who? None other than the boy standing outside. Sucking up the courage inside him, he finally spoke, "H-Hello? Where am I?". His young, raspy voice echoed throughout the land, giving his tone a crack. As well as the storm's wind, came a long cackle. It sounded rather menacing and was coming from all directions, or so it seemed. "Astro~!", the voice called, "Astro~!", it spoke again. The boy stepped forward, "I... I'm here! Show yourself!". The deep voice gave him an answer, "As you wish...", it spoke. From the mist, a dark figure appeared. As it got closer, it was visible that he had a long cape, dark eyes and a smirk that sent a shiver down the kids spine. "Astro... It's me...", the boy stood still, "D..Doctor**Tenma**!?", he almost took a step back, but immediately gave himself the orders not too, just in case. "Yes, it Is I! I am here to... Do what I should've done a **long** time ago! Or at least, what I've been longing to do... **again**!", the man took out an item, which was barely visible to the young boy, but it still made him full with fright. There was something about it... That seemed... Familiar... Though he had no idea what was going on, his vocal cords seemed to take full control of his actions, "NOOOOOO!", he screamed...

Astro tossed and turned in bed, kicking away the sheets as sweat poured down his face. He clenched his fists violently and squinted his closed eyes. Both his heart and his head were pounding in synchronisation, at full force, making discomfort flow through his circuits. Suddenly, he let out a large, long scream. He sat up, clutching the sheets of his bed and quivering so much that anyone could tell he was shaking from about a room away. His eyes widened and he gasped for breath, though he needn't breathe, there was no need for logic right now. Taking a careful look around him, everything seemed normal. It was dark, though moonlight was shining naturally through the giant windows to his right; his bedroom looked **exactly** the same as it had before he fell asleep. Astro let out a quivering sigh and placed a hand on top of his head, "I must be going crazy...". Upon saying that, Astro's thoughts shifted over to Merc, there was something about that dog that made him even more curious. In fact, with all of the events following his meeting with him, it seemed that they were all linked in a way... But, as if something was missing from the puzzle... Astro groaned, he **hated** it when he couldn't figure something out. "Ugggh! This is **impossible**!", he yelled to himself, falling backwards onto his bed. With a quick stand up, Astro began pacing his room with a determined face, "C'mon Astro, think! Think! THINK! GRRR!", he held his head with both hands, shaking it in frustration, then, moved his eyes over to the computer. Lowering his arms, he stepped towards it, though freezing up a little after yesterdays performance. "Hm... Maybe I can find some information on him...", the internet wasn't **usually** the first place he would go to for help, but it was the middle of the night and this was his only choice, beside running away which he didn't **really** want to do right now, so he quietly switched it on and typed in **"A.T.T - Destruction Revolution"**. As soon as the result appeared, Astro choked. Nothing was there, except for a photograph... Of **Tobio**...

-  
Atlas leaned on the wall outside Astro's room, peeking into it through the window. Doctor O'Shay had requested he keep an eye on Astro **just** for tonight to make sure he hadn't any nightmares or anything. Everything **seemed** fine, until Atlas spotted the other tossing and turning in his bed and quickly sitting up. Atlas heard Astro scream and immediately hid out of sight, just in case, yet still peeking a little. As Astro stood up and paced his room, Atlas got a little curious, so he listened in **extra carefully**. He heard his friend talking to himself and growling in frustration, this whole thing was obviously bugging him. Atlas **then** noticed Astro step up to his computer, ready to type, but what was written, remained a mystery... Even as Astro's fists clenched, along with his teeth...

-AUTHOR NOTE-  
You're probably thinking, hasn't Chapter Twelve **already**been released? Well, here's the whole story. Y'see, even though I **love** the idea of Astro & Atlas as brothers, I felt that the **original** Chapter Twelve, seemed to go slightly off story, like it wasn't really needed for the main idea (Plus, the fact that I am **already** writing a Camping Fanfiction of the two robots anyway). So, what I did, was copy the important pieces (Ex: The Nightmare) and just re-write the rest, making it darker and WAY more interesting, also giving Astro a much more needed slice of character and dialogue.. Something that just **fits** his personality and the story! Hurray! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the new edition, for there will be more Chapters soon! (I also may be updating the other's for maybe mistaken spelling and stuff.. Yay! Better for all!)

Astro Boy, Tetsuwan Atom, Mighty Atom (c) Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka Productions, Mushi Productions...


End file.
